Friday, September 28, 2012

Whistling a Tune


I've noticed that men in Mexico whistle a lot.  Sweet, melodic tunes.  Be it the gardener, the man who sells corn (elote) on the corner  every afternoon or someone needing to stop a truck or a taxi.  They all whistle.

Yesterday while getting gas put in the Pathfinder, the Pemex service station attendant was whistling while cleanng my windshield (limpio mi ventanas, por favor).   I just sat back and listened with a little smile on my face.  It was lovely.  No particular tune but he was  enjoying whatever it was.

When he came over to the pump to turn it off, I asked him how to say whistle in Spanish.  He told me and I told him how much I enjoyed his music.  I told him that men in the USA,( estado de unidos ), don't whistle much anymore like my dad and granddad did many years ago.  He asked me why and I said I guessed it was that they were in too much of a hurry and too stressed to whistle.  He smiled at me. Took the nozzle out of the tank.  We completed our transaction.

As I drove off and he went to service another car, he was whistling.  This time a little louder and a little happier, I think.

I smiled all the way home thinking of our conversation - most in Spanish! - and his happy tune.
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3 comments:

Steve Cotton said...

You forgot to mention the whistle I hear most often -- the wolf whistle. Mexican men put my whistler to shame. I am more of a hummer.

Check my post today. Did I get the name of the giant puppets correct?

Shannon said...

How nice! And well done with the Spanish!

Babs said...

Steve, I've never heard a wolf whistle in Mexico but did hear that a lot in the USA!

Yes, you did get the mojigangas right. In fact, I left a post on it on your blog.

Thanks Shannon!